536 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



has great muscular power in the tail, and is able to whirl it about in 

 any direction it may desire, it not unfrequently deals forth most sav- 

 age retribution to its captors. It knows full well, too, how to direct 

 its aim, and it is told of some of the members of this family that, if a 

 hand, or even a finger, be laid upon the fish, it can, by a single turn of 

 the tail, transfix with its spine the offending member. So dangerous 

 are the consequences of these wounds, that it is customary (and in 

 France and Italy it is made compulsory by law on the fishermen) to 

 cut off the tails above the spines of the fish thus armed before they are 

 brought to market ; and in this way almost the only specimen of the 

 Eagle Ray {JStyliobatis aquila) ever captured alive in this country * 

 was mutilated ; so that the specimen was useless. The Picked Dog- 

 fish is also provided with two short, sharp spines one on each dorsal 

 fin. Many other fish are furnished with spines, either upon the fins or 

 as horns, or in sharp projections from the gill-covers. The spines of 

 the Greater and Lesser Weaver inflict most painful wounds, and cause 

 such agony that it is commonly reported they are in some way venom- 

 ous. This has been denied, and demonstrated to be impossible ; yet it 

 seems difficult to account for the following facts upon any other hypoth- 

 esis. Sir W. Jardine, in speaking of the greater weaver, says : 



It is much dreaded by the fishermen on account of its sharp spines, which 

 are usually considered as venomous, but without any sufficient reason, as they 

 are quite devoid of all poisonous secretion. Mr. Couch states that he has known 

 three men wounded successively in the hand by the same fish, and the conse- 

 quences have in a few minutes teen felt as high as the shoulder. 



Again, in treating of the lesser weaver, " If trodden on by bathers, 

 as frequently happens, it inflicts," says Dr. Parnell, " a severe and 

 painful wound, causing the part to swell and almost immediately to as- 

 sume a dark-brown appearance, which remains for five or six hours." 



In the teeth of the confident assertion of great authorities it would 

 be rash to say that any poisonous secretion exists. But, if the above 

 facts be quoted as proofs or instances of the absence of venom, they 

 would appear to be singularly infelicitous ones. 



Perhaps one of the most formidable weapons possessed by any fish 

 is the natural and terrible pair of shears formed by the jaws of the 

 Shark. The only parallel weapon of offence that can be cited as used 

 by man would, perhaps, be the spiked portcullis, but the future may 



1 This fish was captured at Ramsgate some years ago and sent to me ; it was 18 

 inches long, exclusive of the tail, which was missing, and about 2|- feet broad. Previous 

 to this the tail of one was examined by Pennant, and a small one was found dead off Ber- 

 wick by Dr. Johnson, but no living specimen had been captured. Since this was penned, 

 however, but a few months ago, another was caught and attracted a good deal of no- 

 tice. This fish was taken off the Devonshire coast, and was about the same size as, or a 

 trifle larger than, mine. It was preserved in the Exeter Museum, where it now is. Mr. 

 Buckland very kindly sent me an excellent photograph of the fish. The colors appear to 

 have been most brilliant. 



